How rude of us. All this talk about KTM’s new 450cc race bike for the Dakar Rally, and we haven’t properly introduced the machine to you. Well, we did bring you some of the first photos of the 2014 KTM 450 Rally race bike a few months ago, but they hardly do the purpose-built race bike any justice.

KTM’s goal with the 450 Rally was to build a lighter, slimmer, and better handling machine than the previous machine, which was basically a 600cc-class chassis with a 450cc motor wedged into it. Now building a new bike around a brand new motor, all from the ground-up, KTM believes it has the ultimate adventure-racer in its arsenal.

More like a motocross bike in its design than the bulky 2013 model was, the 2014 KTM 450 Rally is a stunning piece of kit, and for as odd as it sounds, we have never lusted after a fairing stay / headlight housing more in our lives. Luckily KTM supplied us with 13 hi-res photos of the new KTM 450 Rally…totally naked. If you’re a gearhead, the following might not be safe for work.

Trick looking, but no matter how light the apparatus on the front end is, it still has to radically affect the steering negatively, adding weight, changing the C of G, etc.

Kenny

Sweet!

That instrument cluster/headlight assembly looks like sex! Though I would be worried about crash damage. Cant bang it back into shape with a rock, but who knows maybe it’s structurally stronger than the headstock it’s bolted too.

Antonio

Here is an article in German on the new bike. KTMs Rallye Technican Stefan Huber says Target was managing the riders can sit on the bike like on a proper Enduro machine. At the moment everybody speaks about Despres/Yamaha and Honda, but I think KTMs weapon is still very sharp!

The swingarm pivot area looks very interesting, with the inboard frame rails and footpeg bracket. It looks like you just remove the footpeg to change the chain without breaking it. And that would allow quick swingarm and shock removal too.